Twice Cooked Potatoes and Jicama

Maybe you’ve already tried twice cooked fries and found them incredibly crisp but creamy on the inside? Do you know that you can boil potatoes and then crisp them up in the oven and they turn out more delicious than fried potatoes? They aren’t as crisp as fries because they aren’t fried but they come out with a more delicious potato flavor. Do you know that you can cook jicama? Well jicama is considered a super food and it’s very healthy with lots of nutrition and fiber. Jicama is also very low in calories. Jicama in my parts is normally eaten raw because it’s delightedly crispy with a mild sweet flavor. Many people describe it like a cross between an apple and a potato but I think it’s more like a cross between a pear and a water chestnut. I treated a pound of potatoes and jicama the same. First they were boiled for about 15 minutes in salted water. (till the potatoes were fork tender) then they got drained and placed on non-stick sprayed baking sheet(s). I gave them a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Then they went in a 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. Fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper were applied. The potatoes are the most delicious potatoes and do have much better flavor than a fried potato. The jicama is a surprise treat. The jicama doesn’t compete with the potatoes but it adds interest. The jicama adds a slight sweetness and a different texture. Almost like a meaty pear.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 lb potatoes  – waxy taste better (my favorite are red skin yellows) – peeled – cut in about inch size pieces

1 lb jicama – peeled – cut smaller than inch size pieces

Tablespoon salt – sea salt or kosher salt (heaping for boiling the potatoes and jicama)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt – fresh ground to taste

black pepper – fresh ground to taste

non – stick spray (canola or vegetable)

Directions

Turn oven on to roast at 350 degrees F. Get out the baking sheet(s) and spray it with non – stick spray.

Put the potatoes, jicama and tablespoon of salt in a sauce pan. Cover the vegetables well with water and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender about 15 minutes. Drain.

Place the drained potatoes and jicama on the sprayed baking sheet(s) in one layer with a little room around each piece.

Let roast until the potatoes have a nice color. (about 45 minutes)

Apply fresh ground sea salt and black pepper.

Serve.

Twice Cooked Potatoes and Jicama

The jicama lightens up the side of potatoes and makes them much healthier for you too. The potatoes are extra tasty this way too!

The Forking Truth

Macaroni and Cheese Style Casserole

Macaroni and Cheese Style Casserole

I have  a bunch of potatoes I needed to use to I made a casserole so I could freeze the leftovers. I made a potato casserole that taste like macaroni and cheese. I didn’t use any orange cheese but the seasonings I use turn the white sauce orange. My recipe sounds spicy but I assure you it isn’t. You need to add a lot of seasoning and flavors to a potato casserole because the potatoes really absorb salt and pepper like nothing. I didn’t use non-fat milk or a scant amount of butter to cut calories. Instead I choose to make the sauce rich with lots of cheese. You have to decide on what you want when you make a cheese sauce because the more fat you add to the sauce the less cheese you have to use because your sauce can only take so much fat or it breaks. Sorry I couldn’t get the best pictures. The casserole is very creamy and cheesy with a tasty crust….but hard for me to photo.

Ingredients for about 20 servings

2 cups non-fat milk

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 oz unsalted butter

8 oz mature English Cheddar – shredded – (I like Coastal Brand from Costco)

4 oz mild provolone – this usually comes sliced that’s ok or shred

1/2 cup parmesan – shredded

1 1/2 Tablespoons aged cayenne pepper sauce (preferably Frank’s Red Hot)

1/2 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 large eggs – beaten

1 large sweet onion – sliced very thin on a mandolin

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 pounds potatoes (about…after peeling and removing spots I might have had less)

non-stick spray preferably canola or vegetable)

1 cup panko – for topping

1 cup parmesan – for topping

1 teaspoon Hungarian Pepper – for topping

pinch cayenne pepper – for topping

pinch white pepper – for topping

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Get a large baking dish or half pan. Spray the baking vessel with non-stick spray and have a piece of aluminum foil also sprayed with non-stick spray that will stretch across the pan and won’t stick to the food.

Melt butter in a medium size pot on medium heat and then whisk in milk and cornstarch. Keep whisking so you don’t get lumps and keep it going till mixture is thick and it is bubbling. Next turn down the heat to low and stir in the cheeses. Then add the pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/8 teaspoon white pepper and take off the heat and stir. Set to the side.

In a large bowl slice the onion very thin. Add the 1 Tablespoon sea salt and the black pepper. Mix. Do one peeled potato at a time over the onion mixture. When you are done each potato mix it threw the onions. The onions will keep the potato slices from browning and the seasoning will spread evenly. Keep going till you have finished the potatoes.

In a small bowl beat the eggs well and add them to the cheese sauce that should be just warm now. Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes. Mix and pour mixture into the sprayed pan.

In a medium bowl mix together the remaining ingredients panko, parmesan, paprika, cayenne, white pepper and spread evenly over contents.

Cover with the sprayed foil. (clean side up and sprayed side goes against food)

After about 90 minutes in the oven it should be cooked threw and look like this. (you might want to check it at about 75 minutes)

You should let it cool a little bit before you serve.

I tried to show the layers of potatoes and the creamy cheese in-between. (it’s cold here)

“It smells Forking Delicious…Why can’t I eat any?’

Macaroni and Cheese Style Casserole

#CROWDPLEASER about 98% of the population will find this delicious!

The Forking Truth

Korean Style Pickled Cauliflower

I was reading a recipe about Korean Style Pickles and I thought I could do my spin on Korean Style Pickled Cauliflower. It’s very easy to prepare. Simply wash and break down the cauliflower in bite size pieces and place in a gallon zip lock bag. Then mix together the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the cauliflower. Shake the bag to coat the cauliflower, Place in the refrigerator. A few times distribute the sauce around the cauliflower let it sit over night in the refrigerator. The next day dress with a little scallion and a small amount of Korean Shredded red pepper. Overnight a lot of liquid comes out of the cauliflower and it shrinks and gets tender crisp and sucks up the flavor from the sauce. If you are a fan of Korean Food you should be a fan of this cauliflower. I thought of the cauliflower as a light but flavorful vegetable dish but my husband would prefer the Korean Style Cauliflower paired with rice, eggs and Korean style beef.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1 medium cauliflower – cleaned up and broken down into bite size pieces

1 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon gochujang

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons  kosher salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 Tablespoon black vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch red pepper flakes

one scallion – to use next day – sliced thin

pinch Korean red pepper threads

Directions

Broken down cauliflower goes in a gallon ziplock plastic bag. Set a side.

In a small bowl combine everything remaining except for the scallions and Korean Red Pepper Threads.

Pour mixture in bowl into the bag of cauliflower and work the liquid all around.

Let it sit on the counter for a half hour to get the juices flowing.

Now place in the refrigerator. Turn the bag over every few hours during the day.

Leave in the refrigerator over night and the next day the cauliflower is ready to serve.

When ready to serve dress with some scallions and some Korean red pepper threads.

Korean Style Pickled Cauliflower

Serve with Korean Style Beef, rice and some soft eggs if you like!

Very flavorful and tasty!

Korean Style Pickled Cauliflower

The Forking Truth